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Wainwright H Class

The H Class was Harry Wainwright’s solution to updating the ageing 2-4-0 and 0-4-2T stock running on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway at the turn of the 20th century and was very much a development of Kirtley’s R Class and subsequent R1 design. Sixty six locomotives were built by Ashford Works, with No.540 being the first engine delivered on November 7, 1904 and No.184 the last, in April 1915.

Locomotive No.308 was built at Ashford Works in June 1906, entering traffic at Slades Green and was repainted to Maunsell Dark Green in 1925, when it was renumbered as A308. Moving to Gillingham in July 1931, the locomotive’s last shed was Tunbridge Wells West, from where it was withdrawn in December 1962.

Locomotive No. 31518 was built in July 1909 at Ashford and entered traffic at Orpington, numbered 518, on the outer suburban London services into Victoria, St. Paul's, Moorgate Street, Cannon Street and Charing Cross. Being dual braked, 518 mainly worked Chatham section trains. Renumbered A518 as it went through Ashford Works in December 1923, then 1518 in the renumbering scheme of July 1931, at Nationalisation the locomotive was numbered 31518. Motor fitted in March 1952, during the Kent Coast floods in 1953 No. 31518 operated Push/Pull services between Faversham and Herne Bay, before finally being withdrawn from Three Bridges in January 1964.

Locomotive No.1324 was built at Ashford Works in May 1907, entering traffic as No.324 at Ashford. In 1924, now at Tonbridge, the locomotive provided through train services between the Eastern and Central sections of the Southern Railway, an unusual event for the time, but one that became commonplace. Renumbered as No.31324 under British Railways, the locomotive was withdrawn from Three Bridges in July 1962.